Fluid-pressure control device.



L. F. GOODSPEED.

FLUID PRESSURE CONTROL DEVICE. APPLICATION FILE'D $312.1, 1912 1,1 15,662, Patehted Nov. 3, 1914.

i n" I nlii WITNESSES V INVENTOR To all whom it may concern UNITED s'rA Es PATENT LELAND r. GOODSPEED, F'MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, ASSIGN'OR or ONE-HALF To HENRY HERMAN wnsrmenonsn, or NEW Yemeni. L

nuance.

Be it known that I, LELAND F. Goonsrnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of- Wisconsimhave invented new and useful"-' Improvements in Fluid Pressure lontrol Devices,of which the following is a specification. I I

Z This invention relates to a fluid pressure control device, more particularly for controlling the operation of speed gear mecha-.

nisms as employed in connection with selfpropelled vehicles, although adapted for controlling other forms of apparatus. 1

In my prior Patent No. 1,001,016, dated September 26,1911,is shown and described a control device comprising a plurality of cylinders containing fluid operated pistons for actuating a control shaft, having a plurality of cranks set at different angles. Each'piston carries a crosshead having inclined faces adapted to cooperate with a corresponding crank and the crank shaft may thus be turned to predetermined positions by admitting fluid to some one of the different cylinders. According to this prior patent, means are provided for preventing the operation of one piston unless another piston has previously been shifted to a predetermined position, so that the pistons are effective to turn the control shaft only in accordance with a predetermined order or sequence.

In some classes of service, it is desirable to be able to operate the control device so that any desired position can be directly attained without first necessitating the shifting of the control device through intermediate positions, and the principal object of my present invention is to accomplish the above purpose.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a central sectional view of a control device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 a sec tional view of onecontrol cylinder and piston, showing the parts in the position assumed upon operation of the piston by fluid under pressure; Fig. 3 a plan view of the rotary valve seat of the controlling valve for supplying and releasing fluid to and from the control cylinders; Fig. 4 a face view of the rotary valve and Fig. 5 a diagrammatic view of the controlling valve, showing the rotary valve in position for supplying fluid to one of the control cylinders.

rLnin-rnnssunn ooNrnoL DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ports 28 to 31 inclusive.

{is shown in Fig. l ofuthe drawing, a plurality of cylinders 1, 2, 3, and 1 may be pro-l vided in ajsuitable casing 5 and contained in the respective cylinders are pistons fl, 7, 8.

and 9. Each of the piston stems 1O, 11,

and 13carries a crosshead 14, as shown in detail in Fig. 2, and each cross head has inclined faces adapted to bear against cranks15, 16, 17, and '18 of a crank shaft 19. The crank shaft 19 is mounted in bear lugs 20 carried by the casing 5 and the rotacontrolmechanism, such as the change speed gears of a self-propelled vehicle, to the dif-' ferent operatingv positions. The cranks 15 16, 17, and 18' are set at different angles, according to. the rotative movements 1 desired, such as the angular positions shown in dotted lines'in; Fig. 2, for example. Each crosshead 14L is adapted to'reciprocate between guide bearings 21 and isprovided Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Application filed February 1, 1912; Serial No. 674,633.

.tion of said shaft is adapted to shift-a- I with inclined faces on opposite sides ofthe a axial line, preferably two faces 22 and 23 adapted to bear a ainst acooperating crank of thecrank shaft 19. i

ent angles so as to engage the cranks tangentially to the direction. of movement, at

least approximately, so" that an excessive movement of. the PlStOIl' iWlllbG avoided,

such as would be necessarvwhere a single pair of inclined faces is employed.

Communicating with cylinders 1, 2, 3, and 1 at the respective outer faces of the pistons 6, 7, 8, and 9, arepipes 24, 25, 26, and 27 and said pipes lead to ports 28,29,30, and 31 in the seat of a fluid controlling valve 32. Said seat is also provided with an atmospheric exhaust port 33. A rotary valve 34: is provided having a cavity in its face, of which a ring shaped portion 36 continually Extending from the ring portion 36 are a series of double wedge shaped portions 37, spaced apart so as to respectively register with the The rotary valve 34: is also provided with a double wedge shaped through port 38 which is adapted to register with the ports 28 to 31 inclusive upon rotation of the rotary valve, and the chamber above the rotary valve is constantly charged With fluid under pressure by connecting same with suitable source of pressure.

In operation, the rotary valve may he I so The faces 22 and 2,3 are disposed at diffeia turned to a position, such as that illustrated in- Fig. 5, in which the through port 38 in the rotary valve registers with port 28 leading to pipe 2% and the cylinder 1. Fluid under pressure is thereupon admitted to the cylinder 1 and acts on pistons 6, shifting the same to the position shown in Fig 2. The crank shaft 19 is thus turned so that the crank 15 is atits extreme outward position. When port38 registers with port 28, ports 29, 30, and 31 each register with one of the cavity projections 37 so that all the cylinders except cylinder 1 are connected to the atmosphere by wayof the exhaust port 33, and consequently the pistons 7, 8, and 9 remain at their lower positions.

it will be seen that the spacing of the rotary valve ports is such that when the through port 38 registers with any one of the ports 28 to 31 inclusive, the remaining ports are connected to the atmosphere.

If a crank is in its extreme lateral posi-' tion, as for instance, the position of the crank 18 in Fig. 2, then the incline 22 of the corresponding crosshead will first engage same, the incline being approximately tangent'to the direction of movement. At an intermediate point the crank engages the inclined surface 23, which is at an angle substantially corresponding with the tangent to the direction of motion at that point. Inclines are provided on either sideof the axial line of the crossheads, so that each crosshead is adapted to operate its corresponding crank from any'position. This ability to shift the crank shaft to any position corresponding with a given crank regardless of the position of the other cranks, is often desirable, especially in connection with change speed gears for self-propelled Vehicles, for example, with my control mechthe crank shaft.

anism, the crank shaft may be shifted from off position directly to low, intermediate, or high gear, and in the reverse direction from high gear directly to intermediate, low, or off position, in fact, by turning the rotary valve to any one of its operating positions, fluid may be admitted to the corresponding cylinder and thereby the piston operates its crosshead and turns the-crank shaft to the position corresponding with that particular crank, regardless of the previous position of Having now described my invention,'what I claim as new and desire to secure'by Letters Patent, is I 1. A control device comprising a crank shaft providedwith a plurality of cranks, a. fluid operated piston in alineinent with each crank, a cross head carried by each piston provided with oppositely inclined faces con verging at the longitudinal axis of the piston for engaging the crank and additional oppositely inclined faces arranged at a more obtuse angle than the-first mentioned faces for also engaging the crank.

2. In a control device, the combination with a crank, of a fluid actuated piston and a crosshead carried by said piston for operating said crank, the crosshead being provided with a pair of oppositely inclined faces for engaging the crank and another pair of oppositely inclined faces at an angle to thefirst mentioned faces for also engaging said crank.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LELAND F. GOODSPEED.

WVitnesses V R. H. VVEILAND, V. K. BOYLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

